A Father's Promise
by 221B-sherlocked
Summary: Sherlock Holmes becomes an unexpected father as a baby is left on the doorstep of 221B. John thinks Sherlock is incapable of looking after a baby, but Sherlock wants to prove him wrong. Lots of fluffy goodness :)
1. Chapter 1

Sherlock and John lead very busy lives. Just when they thought they would get a break after solving a case, another one would come up right away, more exciting than the last. Sherlock never showed signs of fatigue or exhaustion. In fact, taking on another case was like an adrenaline rush for him, whereas John had to practically pinch himself to keep from falling asleep. Despite his urge to back out of cases and let Sherlock deal with the whole thing himself, which pretty much happened all the time anyways, John always pulled himself together. He never understood why he let himself be pulled further into the depths of Sherlock's obsession.

It was a cold November morning, and just as expected, another call from Lestrade requesting Sherlock's help in a new case. Sherlock could hardly contain himself.

"The game is on, John!" yelled Sherlock as he put on his scarf and coat.

John yawned. "It's been on for the last several months, Sherlock. How is it you can just keep on going and not be tired? You really haven't slept very much lately. I'm worried".

"I'll have plenty of time to sleep when I'm dead".

"If you keep this up, that may not be too far off".

"Relax John. I'm fine. Alright then, let's go see Lestrade. It's a triple homicide!".

The doctor sighed heavily. "I'm not going", he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Sherlock confused.

"I'm. Not. Going", John said through gritted teeth.

To John's surprise, Sherlock did not argue. He simply replied with, "Suit yourself" and then left the flat. John breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his flatmate would be gone for most of the day and he had the entire flat to himself. Mrs. Hudson was on holiday, so there would be no interruptions. John knew exactly what his day was going to entail, which was a day of much needed sleep. John had slept for about two hours when he awoke to the sound of a knock on the door downstairs. He figured it was someone here to see Sherlock and that if no one answered the door they would leave. Unfortunately, the knocking continued. John groaned and got up out of bed still half asleep and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he saw a sight he never imagined. There in front of him on the doorstep lay a basket with a sleeping baby inside as well as a nappy bag. John was at a loss for words, unable to comprehend what was going on. Just as he knelt down to get a better look, there was another knocking sound.

"What the hell?" asked John confusingly, knowing that it was obviously not the baby doing that. He then noticed a small recorder taped to the front door with a repeating knocking sound. John sighed annoyingly.

"Jesus Christ", was all he could say. He then thought to himself for a moment and then let out a laugh and stood up. He knew this was a joke.

"Alright, you got me! You can come out now!" he yelled. No one appeared. "You can come and get your baby, whoever you are! You do realize it's nearly freezing and this child can't stay out here!"

John was starting to worry. He looked down at the baby who was beginning to stir, probably from all the yelling that John was doing. Perhaps this wasn't a joke after all. John scratched the back of his head nervously then looked down at the baby who was looking up at him and smiling.

"Right then, best get you out of this cold", he said as he bent down and picked up the basket and nappy bag and headed inside. He got upstairs and placed the basket on the kitchen table and the bag on the floor. The baby remained silent and did nothing except stare at John with her big blue eyes. All wrapped in pink blankets, it was no doubt that the baby was female. John couldn't help but smile at the tiny infant. He thought he should probably check the baby to make sure she was healthy. As he unwrapped the blankets, there was a small envelope tucked inside. John breathed a small sigh of relief, for he would now have some idea of who this child was and possibly belonged to. He opened the envelope and read the note slowly.

**Sherlock Holmes, **

**You probably don't remember me. I'll get to the point; we met over a year ago at a pub in central London and we got drunk and had sex in the men's loo. My God what was I thinking? Anyways, the result of that night is now your responsibility. Her name is Eden and she is five months old. I cannot take care of her anymore as she takes up too much of my time. My work is my life and I have no time for children. I know your job requires a lot out of you, but surely you can find some way to include a baby. Eden is an excellent baby and will be no trouble at all I hope. Please take care of her. I've included the birth certificate and a nappy bag with a few nappies, wipes, a bottle, some formula, and a couple of onesies. **

**- Danielle**

John had to sit down as. He couldn't believe what he had just read. There were so many aspects of that note that did not make sense to him. John read the birth certificate, which did indeed have Sherlock's name written beside 'Name of Father'. John looked down at the baby and whispered to her, "Your _daddy_ is not going to like this at all", he said to her. Saying the word 'daddy' and referring that to Sherlock made John giggle. John had thought of texting Sherlock telling him there was an urgent matter at home, but figured it would be best to wait for him to come home so he could tell him, or better yet show him in person.

Just as the note had explained, Eden was a very good baby for the majority of the morning and afternoon, except when she fussed in hunger and needed a nappy change. John had not much experience with babies but was quite good and feeding and nappy changing, despite never having done either before. He even managed to get her to sleep in the afternoon. He decided to take a nap as well, for it was going to be a pretty eventful evening once Sherlock returned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was getting onto 6:00pm when John awoke to the sound of Eden crying for the first time since she arrived at 221B. He picked her up and soothed her by rubbing her back and swaying back and fourth slowly, whispering little shushing noises. Eden eventually quieted down. John figured she was hungry so he took her to the kitchen and grabbed the remainder of the bottle she had not finished earlier. He sat down in his chair as the young infant sucked contently on the bottle.

John glanced at the clock and sighed. "Where the hell is he?" he asked out loud. He looked down at the baby who was contently drinking from her bottle. "You know, Sherlock is one of the most brilliant men I've ever known, but he's never been around children before, especially babies", he said to her. "I can't imagine he would know a thing about taking care of you". John was starting to worry at this point. He never really gave it much thought as to how Sherlock was going to care for this child. Sherlock was practically a child himself and never really expressed any desire to have children. As John continued to gather his thoughts regarding Sherlock as a father, he was interrupting was the sound of a door closing. Sherlock was home.

"You really missed quite an exciting case today, John!", yelled Sherlock as he came up the stairs. As he came into the sitting room he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes fixating upon the small bundle nestled in John's arms.

"Uh John? What..what is that?"

"What do you think?"

"Something that doesn't belong here", Sherlock replied coldly.

"I'd be a little more careful with your choice of words, Sherlock", warned John.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

John sighed deeply. "Does the name Danielle mean anything to you?"

Sherlock thought for a moment and shook his head. John got the note from his pocket and held it out for Sherlock to take. Sherlock grabbed the note and read it to himself. After reading it two or three times, he looked at John and then at the baby who was no longer drinking from the bottle but was staring at the detective with wide eyes.

"I…I…need a moment please", said Sherlock as he quickly headed downstairs.

"Sherlock, where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a minute", he yelled, shutting the door with a little more force than he had expected.

John sighed and looked down at Eden who had finished her bottle and had now moved on to putting her fist in her mouth. "He does that a lot", he murmured to her.

Two hours had gone by before Sherlock returned to the flat. John had gotten Eden to sleep and put her in her basket and placed it in Sherlock's room, deciding that Sherlock will be the one to take over caring for her as he had done quite enough. As Sherlock came up the stairs, John was cleaning the dishes and turned to face Sherlock.

"In what world, Sherlock, does 'I'll be back in a minute' mean two bloody hours?!" said John angrily.

"I went down to the Yard and had Lestrade do some research about this Danielle person", said Sherlock.

John was surprised at his answer, softening his tone upon realizing Sherlock had actually gone to retrieve information about Eden's mother and not just galavanting around London like he usually does.

"Do you remember Danielle?"

"Yes actually".

John was more than surprised at Sherlock's answer. "Do you remember what you did that night?"

"Of course I remember. I was experimenting the levels of alcohol and how it effects the brain's ability to make judgements and process information —".

"I don't mean getting drunk, Sherlock", interrupted John. "I mean, do you remember what you and her _did_ that night?"

"Oh…you mean the fact that we had sex in the loo? That was not supposed to happen. It was all a blur to me really. Bad judgement call on my part".

"You're damn right it was a bad judgement call", hissed John. "Because of your stupidity, that poor child now has to live knowing that her parents had drunken sex in a pub loo, and her mother abandoned her to her father who knows absolutely nothing about children and has never wanted children!". John was getting more angry as he spoke. At that moment the sound of Eden crying came from Sherlock's room.

"Where's that coming from?" asked Sherlock.

"Your room", replied John quickly.

Sherlock look stunned. "My room?"

"Yes Sherlock, your room. She's your child and your bloody responsibilty!" John was yelling at this point.

"For God's sakes John, keep your voice down!" yelled Sherlock. The baby began to cry louder.

John took a deep breath. "Sherlock, I've put my entire day of much needed rest on hold to tend to your child, and now that you're home, it's your turn to tend to her. I'm going to stay the night at Sarah's and will be back tomorrow".

"No wait John! You can't leave me alone with her!", pleaded Sherlock.

"I made another two bottles for her that's in the fridge. She'll probably be needing a nappy change soon", said John as he grabbed his bag that was already packed and put on his coat. Sherlock winced at that last remark.

"John please. I can't do this on my own". The sound of Eden crying was giving him a headache.

"Your a brilliant man, Sherlock. I'm sure you'll manage. See you tomorrow".

As John headed down the stairs Sherlock yelled, "How do I change a nappy?!".

"Youtube it!", yelled John back as he slammed the door. Sherlock wanted nothing more than to be somewhere else at that moment, but he knew that if he left the flat John would never forgive him. He took a deep breath and headed to his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Eden was screaming bloody murder at this point. Sherlock walked over to the basket that was placed in the middle of his bed and stared at the crying child for what seemed like an eternity. He thought for a while until he remembered reading somewhere that babies like to be held, so gently picked her up and brought her to his shoulder.

"Shhh…Shhh. Quiet now", whispered Sherlock as he started pacing around the room slowly rocking Eden back and fourth. She continued crying for a couple more minutes and then stopped all together, which made Sherlock breathe a sigh of relief.

"There's a good girl", he said quietly. He had a hint of a smile. Despite never having held a child before let alone soothing one, he was quite proud of himself. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, he thought. It was at that moment a foul smell filled the air. Sherlock sighed annoyingly. "That would explain the sudden silence", he said out loud.

Sherlock had never changed a nappy in his life. He grabbed one of John's old towels, laid it on the bed and then laid her on top of it. Deciding that he didn't want to risk ruining his expensive clothing, he took off his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He searched the nappy bag that was on the floor and pulled out a package of baby wipes. He quickly grabbed his laptop and searched youtube on how to change a nappy, eventually educating himself enough to tackle the task himself. It was the most disgusting experience Sherlock had ever dealt with. He dealt with dead bodies and all, but at least they no longer had the ability to defecate. The little girl seemed to think the whole process was highly amusing as she giggled every time Sherlock made a disgusting face or swore under his breath, making him feel even more flustered then he already was. Once he had wiped every inch of the baby's bottom, he picked up the still giggling baby and held her out at arms length.

"You think that was funny did you?" he said to her with a straight face. "Let me tell you something, my dear. Of all the rotten things I've dealt with these last several years, nothing could compare to the toxic waste that I just cleaned from you". Eden continued giggling and was moving her arms and legs about. Sherlock sighed as he knew she found this whole ordeal hilarious and couldn't stop the half smile forming across his face. He continued holding her but brought her closer to him so he could get a better look at her features. Her eyes were a blueish-grey, just like his. She had similar facial features as well as a similar nose and mouth. No doubt she would inherit Sherlock's cheekbone structure as she got older. He continued to study her when all of a sudden she put both of her tiny hands on Sherlock's cheeks and smiled widely at him. He was taken back for a moment and then he smiled back at her. She brought one of her hands to his mouth and gently tapped her hand against his lips. Without any thought, Sherlock kissed the tiny little hand, and that's when the sudden realization hit Sherlock. He was a father now. This little girl was his.

All these new emotions flowing through Sherlock's mind were beginning to make him feel uneasy. To distract himself, he decided to give Eden a bath. He carried her to the bathroom and filled the tub a quarter of the way with warm water. When he decided that the water was warm enough he knelt down and gently put Eden in the tub. She flinched at the feeling of the water.

"Shh it's alright. I've got you", he said in the most gentle voice. He sat her in an upright position and used his one hand, placing it around her stomach to keep her balanced and his other to clean her with a cloth. Eden started splashing the water with her hands, getting Sherlock wet in the process. He laughed in response.

He proceeded to clean her and then once he was happy with the state of her cleanliness, he lifted her out and wrapped her in a towel and emptied the tub. He carried her to his bedroom and laid her down on the bed and dried her off. He looked through the nappy bag and pulled out a nappy and a pink onesie outfit with little pigs on them. Sherlock sighed annoyingly at this, making a mental note to buy new baby clothes the next time he went out. No child of his was going to be seen in such ridiculous attire. As Sherlock was putting a clean nappy on Eden she started yawning and was rubbing her eyes with her tiny fists. "I know, love. It's been a big day for the both of us. You must be incredibly tired after the kind of day you've had", he said, mimicking her yawn. Once he got her dressed in her little onsie, he picked her up and brought her to the kitchen. He thought she should have a bottle before going to bed so she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night. He grabbed the bottle that was in the fridge and warmed it up quickly. He sat down in his chair and, after another quick youtube lesson on how to feed babies, held Eden in the crook of his arm and proceeded to feed her.

"Who would have thought that I would be spending my night like this", Sherlock said quietly as he looked down at his daughter who was contently sucking on the bottle. "I mean, this morning I was dealing with a triple homicide and was surrounded by dead bodies, and now here I am feeding a baby…my baby", he continued. "Never in my life did I imagine myself in this position. I don't know what you have done to me Eden, but something about you has…changed me".

Trying so desperately to fight the emotions that were taking over, he felt a small tear trickle down his cheek and he quickly wiped it off with his arm. He continued feeding Eden until her little groaning noises indicated she was finished. He stood up and brought her to his shoulder. He slowly rocked her back and fourth and gently patted her on the back until a little burp emerged, causing Sherlock to smile. He paced the room slowly for several minutes making quiet humming noises as Eden cooed contently. He brought her back to his bedroom, kissed her temple and placed her in her basket. He decided that he too was tired for once, especially after this very long day. He changed out of his clothes into his pyjama pants and got into bed. As he was getting comfortable, Eden began to stir in her basket. Sherlock sat up and glanced at his daughter who looked as though she would cry at any moment. Not wanting to endure the unpleasant sounds of her cries, Sherlock quickly but gently picked her up and rested her tiny body on his chest as he slowly laid back down on the bed. Eden seemed to be happy with her new position as she let out a smile sigh and snuggled closer to her father's bare chest. Sherlock stroked her head and was whispering to her softly.

"I'm going to make a promise to you, Eden. A promise that I will keep for as long as I live. I promise to be the best father I can be to you. It won't always be easy, and I know growing up in this environment is not ideal for a child. I will do everything in my power to ensure you're safe. I know John says I'm incapable of looking after children because let's face it, I'm practically a child myself, but I'll prove him wrong. Just you wait. You're going to grow up to be the absolute best you can be, and I'll be there every step of the way to ensure your happiness". Sherlock looked down at his daughter who was now fast asleep on his chest, opening and closing her tiny fists.

Sherlock brought her tiny form as close to his face as possible and gave her a kiss on her head. "Goodnight sweetheart".

And that's when Sherlock Holmes, the world's only consulting detective, fell in love with his daughter.

The End.


End file.
